Surgical suction and pressure machine



April 20, 1937. K. J? FRITZ SURGICAL SUCTION AND PRESSURE MACHINE Filed Jan. 31, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 20, 1937. K. J. FRITZ SURGICAL SUCTION AND PRESSURE MACHINE Filed Jan. 31, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AW NW Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Karl J. Fritz, Jolinstown, Pa.

Application January 31, 1936, Serial No. 61,789

4 Claims.

It is well known in the art to provide suction drains for use on the human body, especially after operations, and the present invention is designed only as an improvement over existing machines to render operation of the machine more positive and foolproof without complicating the mechanism, and additionally simplifying the operation of the machine.

The device of this invention includes an auto- 19 matic valve which is open for use only when the suction and pressure agents are in a predetermined position, eliminating manual operation or adjustment and assuring a uniform and constant suction so long as the said agents are in an oper- 5 ating position.

Another object which I attain in the present invention is to provide a suction and. pressure machine of extreme simplicity capable of operation even by one unskilled in the art without danger of injury to the patient.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the suction and pressure agents in an operating position.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary top plan view of the machine, showing to advantage the valve and the latch carried by the valve for securing the same from movement.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the 35 line 4-- l of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing to advantage the arrangement of the ways through the valve.

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken through the valve and illustrat- 40 ing the manner of assembling the latter.

Fig. 6 is a detail fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4 showing the manner of venting the air pressure line.

Fig. 7 is a detail enlarged fragmentary view 45 taken on the line l---'! of Fig. 4 showing to advantage the water circuit in the valve when the latter is in an operating position, and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the containers showing the manner of mounting the conduits 50 through the stopper of the latter.

The device of the present invention is preferably portable and with this end in View, I have in the drawings shown a portable or movable carriage, generally designated 9. The carriage in 55 the present instance is shown to be formed from pipes or other tubular elements and may be of any desired shape or size. The carrier includes a pair of horizontal bars ill which are connected approximately mid-way their ends by a tubular cross-bar I I, the latter being detachably engaged with the bars l6.

Rotatably mounted on the cross bar ll of the carrier 9 is a cage, generally designated l2, the cage consisting of a plurality of elongated rods l3, intermediate portions of which are detachably engaged with a frame [4, the frame including bands l5 which embrace a valve, generally designated it.

The opposite ends of the rods l3 carry containers il, each of the containers in the present instance being shown to consist of a water bottle, the neck of which is provided with ears I8 which project laterally, and are adapted to be engaged by the bills of hooks 19, which latter are carried by a stopper 2|]. equipped with a pair of conduits or tubes 2| which are inflexible and infrangible, one of the tubes extending inwardly to a point in close proximity to the bottom of the container, while the other tube terminates just short of the inner end of the container neck. The opposite, or inner ends of the tubes are detachably mounted in the outer periphery of the valve IS. The tubes 2| are preferably made of copper to avoid possibility of bending or breakage of the latter, and likewise to permit the tubes to be positively anchored to the container stoppers 20 and the valve I 6.

As shown to advantage in Fig. 5, the valve [6 is preferably made in two parts, the ends of which interfit and slide together. In a preferred form of valve, shown to advantage in Fig. 5, I fix one part of the valve from movement on the cross bar II in any suitable manner, such for instance, as by a screw 22. The other part of the valve, this being the part which carries the tubes 2|, is free to rotate on the cross bar I l, but is held from longitudinal displacement. A thrust bearing 23 is mounted in the bore of the movable valve part and is engaged by one end of a spring 24, the opposite end of the latter being impinged by a nut 25 which is screw threaded on the cross bar H. The nut 25 is held from displacement by a lock nut 26. Between the parts of the valve, I use a lubricated washer 21. It is consequently apparent that when pressure is exerted on the cage l2 the movable part of the valve rotates on the cross bar I I.

When the cage is in a vertical position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the containers I! are in vertical alignment and are in communi- Each of the stoppers is cation through a way 28, formed in the valve. The way 28 communicates with the upper short tube and also with the lower long tube. In this way the contents of the upper container, which is 5 usually water, is permitted to gravitate through the shorter of the upper tubes 2 i. through the way 23, and downwardly through the longer of the lower tubes 25 into the lower container. This action creates a siphonic action in the longer of the upper tubes 2i, the latter being in communica tion with a way 29 which communicates with the bore of the cross bar i I. Said bore in turn is in communication with a flexible tube 30 which leads into a container 3!, the latter having also extended thereinto one end of a flexible tube 32, the opposite end being adapted for use in the patient. Consequently, suction is created in the longer of the upper tubes 2 l, and a corresponding suction takes place in the container 3i setting up a siphonic action in the tube 32 for the purpose of draining the patient. 0f course, while the water is passing from the upper container into the lower one, air in the lower container is being displaced, the displaced air being forced upwardly through the shorter of the lower tubes into a way 33, which may be vented to the atmosphere as shown in Fig. 6.

Manifestly, casual movement of the valve may result in injury to the patient, and I consequently provide locking means for the valve. A preferred form of locking means which is shown to advantage in Fig. 3 of the drawings, consists of a yoke 34, which is secured to the frame I 3, the yoke having a spring pressed latch member 3-5 mounted therein, one end 36 of which is formed to provide a handle, while the opposite end is adapted for locking engagement in a complemental opening 37, which is formed in one of the horizontal bars it, as shown to advantage in Fig. 0 3. When the latch member is in a locked position the valve is fixed from movement and, of

course, correspondingly the cage 52 is fixed from movement. However, when it is desired to rotate the valve so as to correspondingly rotate the 4 cage for the purpose of reversing the positions of the containers 51', the latch is disengaged in an apparent manner. The reversion of the positions of the containers H is effected by simply rotating the cage on its axis without any manual operation of the valve, and without changing or adjusting any other parts of the mechanism. Consequently, the position of the container may be reversed by a person unskilled in the art to which this invention pertains, without any danger to 55 the patient and with positive assurance that the device will continue to function just the same as before the change took place.

I have found after extensive use of the device that one of the preferred forms of the invention, illustrated in the drawings, will positively operate to effect a uniform and constant siphonic action in the drainage tube to more effectively relieve gastric and other conditions usually following operations. I have found also that in a device of this character with the associated parts positively connected, the transfer of the carriage from place to place, as is usually required in hospitals, in no way interferes with the operation of the device, nor does it require any adjustment over a protracted period of time.

While I have herein shown and described preferred forms of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction, proportion and ar.- rangement of parts within the scope of the claims herewith appended.

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical suction and pressure machine including a support embodying a tubular bar, a valve carried by the bar, opposed liquid containers connected by a communicating line leading into said valve, each container having a suction inlet and an air outlet, a part only of the valve being movable on said bar to close the communicating line between the containers.

2. In a suction and pressure machine including opposed containers connected by a communicating line and each container having a suction inlet and an air outlet, a valve mounted in the communicating line between the containers provided with ways through which the containers communicate only when they are in vertical alignment, said valve being operable to automatically close communication between the containers by lateral displacement thereof, and means to lock said valve from movement.

3. A machine of the class described including fixedly connected opposed containers each of which has a suction inlet and an air outlet, a valve positioned between the containers, tubes extending from each container into the valve, said valve having ways therein leading to the tubes for placing the containers in communication when the latter are in vertical alignment, displacement of the containers from a vertical plane automatically closing communication between the latter, and means on the valve for locking the containers from movement when in a vertical position.

4. A surgical suction and pressure machine including opposed containers connected by a communicating line and each container having a suction inlet and an air outlet, a valve mounted in the communicating line between the containers and provided with ways through which the containers communicate only when they are in vertical alignment, a portion of said valve being operable to automatically close communication between the containers by lateral displacement thereof, and means mounted on said valve for locking the movable part thereof.

KARL J. FRITZ. 

